Before the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Indian pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla shared his launch-day playlist, revealing his favorite song: the iconic Bollywood track ‘Yuh Hi Chala Chal’ from Shah Rukh Khan’s 2004 film ‘Swades’. Shukla’s choice reflects the inspirational message of the song, which encourages perseverance. Composed by AR Rahman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, and vocals by Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, and Hariharan, the song underscores the spirit of moving forward. The Ax-4 mission, a privately developed mission to the International Space Station (ISS), launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The crew, including former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, will conduct extensive scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities during their 7-14 day stay on the ISS. Shukla will be joined by Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu. The mission will utilize new AxEMU spacesuits and carry out approximately 60 experiments in 31 countries. NASA and ISRO are collaborating on several scientific endeavors for the mission.
